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'The Pacific' Blu-ray Dated
Posted Tue Jun 8, 2010 at 10:00 AM PDT by Tom LandySteven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' follow-up to their epic miniseries 'Band of Brothers' will be storming onto Blu-ray this November.
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'Bored to Death: The Complete First Season' Blu-ray Dated and Detailed
Posted Fri May 7, 2010 at 10:00 AM PDT by Tom Landy -
'Entourage: The Complete Sixth Season' Blu-ray Announced and Detailed
Posted Fri Mar 5, 2010 at 08:00 AM PST by Tom LandyThe sixth season of the critically-acclaimed series is slated for a June high-definition release.
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'Hung: The Complete First Season' Blu-ray Dated and Detailed
Posted Thu Mar 4, 2010 at 12:00 PM PST by Tom Landy -
'True Blood: The Complete Second Season' Announced for Blu-ray
Posted Mon Jan 25, 2010 at 10:00 AM PST by Tom LandyThe second season of the critically-acclaimed vampire series is heading down the high-definition bayou in May.
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'Sopranos: The Complete First Season' Blu-ray Gets Release Date
Posted Fri Aug 28, 2009 at 06:00 AM PDT by Tom Landy -
Steven Soderbergh on Aspect Ratio Offenders
Posted Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 08:00 AM PDT by Mike AtteberyEveryone's favorite cue-ball-headed auteur steps up to the plate (sorry to rub salt in those 'Moneyball' wounds) and call out aspect ratio offenders.[/teaser]
As a videophile, it can sometimes feel as if you’re alone in a sea of people who just don’t get it. From trying to explain to viewers that full screen pan and scan transfers of movies actually show less of the movie, to boggling at those in decision making positions at cable companies who have the power to broadcast a good picture but for some reason choose not to. No need to feel alone any longer, Steven Soderbergh is in your corner.
The acclaimed director’s opinion column in DGA Quarterly, the craft journal of the Director’s Guild of America, takes aim at premium television channels who fail to show movies the way they are intended to be. “Television operators, the people who buy and produce things for people to watch on TV,” writes Soderbergh, “are taking the position that the viewers of television do not like watching 2.40 films letterboxed to fit their 16:9 screens, and that a film insisting on this is worth significantly less—or even nothing—to them. The end result is we have a better chance of seeing a 2.40 film from 1959 in its proper format than a movie from 2009.”
Having a great deal of respect for the original artist’s vision of the film, and the viewer’s desire to watch the film in the original aspect ratio, Soderbergh states “It’s [expletive] lame to watch Jaws—a film that uses the 2.40 ratio as well as any ever produced—in the wrong format on HBO.” He then calls for action, stating [teaser] “As directors, we can decide to fix this, quickly, or let it continue down its gangrenous path until there is no longer any distinction on TV between movies and television.”
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'Rome: The Complete Series' Announced and Detailed
Posted Thu Aug 6, 2009 at 01:30 PM PDT by Tom LandyIt looks as though the critically-acclaimed series will be heading to high-definition in November.
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HBO Sets New Date, Specs for 'Generation Kill' Blu-ray
Posted Fri Mar 6, 2009 at 11:30 AM PST by Peter BrackeAfter a delay of over six months, HBO Home Video has set a new June Blu-ray date for 'Generation Kill' and added multiple exclusive bonus features.
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HBO to Release 'John Adams' on Blu-ray this June
Posted Thu Mar 5, 2009 at 12:00 PM PST by Peter BrackeHBO has is bringing the Emmy-winning mini-series 'John Adams' to Blu-ray as a three-disc set this June.
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'True Blood' to Take Bite Out of Blu-ray
Posted Thu Feb 5, 2009 at 12:00 PM PST by Peter BrackeThe vampires of 'True Blood' are coming to high-def, with Warner announcing a May Blu-ray debut for the complete first season of the hit HBO series.
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HBO Brings 'Generation Kill' to Blu-ray
Posted Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 06:00 AM PDT by Peter BrackeThe Iraq War is coming to high-def, with HBO announcing a mid-December Blu-ray release for the acclaimed mini-series 'Generation Kill.'
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'Band of Brothers' Blu-ray Gets November Launch
Posted Tue Aug 5, 2008 at 12:00 PM PDT by Peter BrackeFollowing months of rumors, HBO has set a mid-November Blu-ray arrival date for the epic mini-series 'Band of Brothers.'
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HBO Enlists 'Band of Brothers' for Blu-ray
Posted Tue Apr 1, 2008 at 08:00 AM PDT by Peter BrackeThere's no street date yet, but HBO Home Video is reportedly planning to bring the Emmy-winning mini-series 'Band of Brothers' to Blu-ray sometime this year.
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HBO Confirms Switch to Blu-ray Exclusivity
Posted Wed Jan 9, 2008 at 01:05 PM PST by Peter BrackeAs expected, HBO Home Video has fallen in line with parent Warner, confirming that it too will drop HD DVD support in favor of Blu-ray.
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Warner: New Line, HBO Not Covered By Blu-ray Announcement (UPDATED)
Posted Fri Jan 4, 2008 at 05:35 PM PST byThough it's widely expected that Warner Bros. subsidiaries New Line and HBO will follow Warner Home Entertainment to Blu-ray exclusivity, for the moment they remain format-agnostic.
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HBO Delays 'Sopranos' HD DVD
Posted Sun Oct 8, 2006 at 08:42 PM PDT byThose anxiously awaiting what was to be the first television series released to a next-gen format are going to have to wait a little bit longer, as HBO has indefinitely delayed the HD DVD debut of 'The Sopranos: Season 6, Part 1.'
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'Sopranos' Specs Unveiled
Posted Mon Aug 28, 2006 at 12:15 AM PDT byHBO Home Video has released the box cover art and specs for 'The Sopranos: Season Six, Volume One,' giving HD DVD fans a taste of what's to come when the set hits stores later this Fall.
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'The Sopranos' Headed to HD DVD
Posted Thu Aug 10, 2006 at 11:29 AM PDT byHBO is preparing to make HD DVD owners an offer they can't refuse this holiday season, when 'The Sopranos' becomes the first TV title to debut on the high-def format.
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HD-DVD Comes Out Swingin' with Initial Title Lineup
Posted Thu Jan 5, 2006 at 07:59 AM PST byBlu-Ray may have fired the first salvo in the high-def format war at yesterday's CES 2006, but the HD-DVD camp is not backing down from the fight. Universal, Warner, New Line and HBO unveiled their initial HD-DVD offerings today, which appeared to trump Blu-Ray in terms of diversity, day-and-date with DVD support and speed to market, with the first titles expected by mid-March.
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While all of the studios supporting either high-def DVD format unveiled about 10 to 20 titles apiece, initial impressions give HD-DVD the edge. The obvious catalog action blockbusters like 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Matrix' trilogies are there, but so is comedic fare like 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin.' Combine that with strong same-day-as-DVD titles as 'Superman Reborn' and 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,' and it makes for a strong opening blitzkrieg. Having HBO under the Warner umbrella also means TV DVD will be better represented than it has been with Blu-Ray, with HBO pledging such top shows as 'The Sopranos' and 'Deadwood' by year end.
HD-DVD's showing was also boosted by the first genuine surprise of CES 2006: the newly-formed Weinstein Co. announced exclusive HD-DVD support. With an upcoming lineup of titles including 'The Matador,' 'Scary Movie 4,' 'Young Hannibal,' 'The Passion of the Clerks,' that's nothing to scoff at.
However, Blu-Ray has a counterpunch of its own still left for CES 2006. Disney will unveil their exclusive plans for the Sony-backed format with a gala event tonight, which could tip the scales back in the Blu-Ray's favor.